Kylian Mbappe converted from the penalty spot as France delivered a professional performance. France beats Paraguay 1-0 at Philadelphia Stadium in Pennsylvania on Saturday. The victory sends the defending champions to the quarterfinals as the second team to advance. France will take on Morocco in the quarterfinal in Foxborough on Thursday, July 9. This matchup represents a rematch of their 2022 World Cup semifinal, which ended 2-0 in favour of Les Bleus.
Mbappe’s 19th World Cup goal in as many games ended Paraguay’s hopes of replicating shock results. Paraguay had shown they could challenge any opponent despite being underdogs. However, France beats Paraguay through clinical execution when opportunities finally arrived. The result prevented a repeat of Paraguay’s elimination of four-time champions Germany or Cape Verde’s near-miracle against Argentina the previous day.
France survived a match where Paraguay repeatedly dragged play into difficult territory. The South American side defended with impressive discipline throughout. Therefore, France had to work harder than anticipated. “We knew what kind of match we were going to have. If we have to get our hands dirty, we can do that. We can play ugly football,” Mbappe said afterward. “They thought we would turn up in tuxedos, but we were there.” He continued: “Even at that game, we were better than them. That’s their football—there is no right or wrong way to play the game. They tried to get at us that way, but we won.”
France struggled initially to break Paraguay down defensively. However, the introduction of Desire Doue in the 61st minute changed the dynamic. Doue won the penalty that proved decisive. Les Bleus troubled the opposition after this substitution. Additionally, Paraguay could not maintain their defensive solidity indefinitely.
Kylian Mbappe then broke the deadlock in the 70th minute, converting from the penalty spot. The captain sent goalkeeper Orlando Gill the wrong way. This marked his 19th World Cup goal and seventh in the current tournament. Diego Gomez brought down Desire Doue in the box to concede the penalty. After a VAR check confirmed the decision in France’s favour, Mbappe converted confidently.
With temperatures reaching 39 degrees Celsius, France found clear openings hard to come by. Both sides failed to register a shot on target before halftime. Therefore, the first half ended goalless. However, Doue’s introduction shifted momentum decisively in France’s favour. Finally, France beats Paraguay with a result that advances them closer to World Cup glory.
